Dame Edna Everage is a character like no other — an Australian housewife who grew into a phenomenon, a self-described "megastar and adviser to royalty," an icon in sequins under a wave of lilac hair and those trademark glittering glasses.

Making her way across North America on tour, Dame Edna stopped to talk with NPR's Scott Simon in Washington.

The diva held forth on everything from her appreciation for the United States ("the best kept secret on the planet") to her friendship with Britain's Queen Elizabeth II ("She is too dependent on me!"), with brief forays into prostate health, gynecology, and the media's speculation that she and her manager, noted Australian comedian Barry Humphries, might just be one in the same.